Weekend Masses

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, I was wandering down nostalgia lane a few weeks ago looking at family photos of long ago. Among them were a number of wedding photos. At my father’s sister’s wedding in London in 1952 I notice in my mother’s hand a black prayer book. In it there were always memory cards little novena prayers and mementos. It is still in the house, among various items, that the family held on too. The Liturgy changed but that prayer book remained in the bedside drawer. Over the years she used new prayer books but always came back to that old black one. I do not know when she purchased it, but I suspect it was with one of her early paychecks and may have cost her all of that check. It was important to her and she continued to use it throughout her life. She had her devotions, and her favorites Our Lady of Lourdes , Our Lady of Mount Carmel and she made her annual trip to the National Shrine of Our Lady of Knock. She had been taught to pray by her parents and she did the same with us. One of the reasons I like the family centered faith program is the fact that it involves the whole family. Faith is not just about learning a lot of facts. It is about a way of life and attitude and above all the belief in the saving life of Jesus Christ who came “that we might have life to the full”. The prayer taught by the parent, the sign of the cross with holy water taught by the family is of more value than all the catechisms or the computer programs. These are the things that faith is about: Your example, your attitude, and your Mass and prayer life in the midst of your family Yes they will be bored at times. Yes they will rebel. Yes they will and may fall aside, but if you have lived the faith and practiced it, you will have done what Jesus called you to do, taught them to pray and to live well. Let the journey continue, Fr Karl  

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Shortly after I came to Chicago, my mother came to visit. We were invited out to dinner one night with a couple called John and Mary. John was from my home town and he wanted to get all the latest news. Mary was a perfectionist and I knew the dinner would be special. When we got to the house the dining room table had been beautifully set with all the place settings European style. Mary explained that she did not get the opportunity to use them too often. The dinner was lovely but Mary did a lot of fussing over details. When we left the house I said to my mother “did you enjoy that” and she replied” it was lovely but it would have been better if Mary had sat down”. Hospitality is more than the food. It is also about presence. We must be present to one another and to God. The patron saint of Western Monasticism St Benedict whose feast we celebrated on July 11th realized that when he enjoined hospitality as part of the charisma of the Benedictines. The monasteries in many ways became the first walk in hotels of the pilgrims and travelers. They provided clean and frugal hospitality with a spiritual dimension. The Guest master was the presence of the community and the encouragement to take part in the community prayer and Mass was the evangelizing tool and the spiritual dimension. Part of our challenge as Christians is to rediscover those elements and make our space as welcoming as possible. The role of our greeters who every Saturday and Sunday get to Church early and welcome the community is very important. You are the face of St Francis Xavier. Thank you for you Ministry and for your welcoming smiles. Let the Journey Continue. Fr Karl